Wednesday, June 9, 2010

I like to think that I’m fairly focused. I catch on quickly. I pay attention to the important things. Often, I am asked to take meeting minutes or notes, because I am perceived this way.

But the reality? The reality is that I often find my mind wandering. And then I’ll hear something like this:

“Yes, I agree that it is really important we do that. Vitally so. In fact, why don’t we send out a communication. Jennifer? Could you draft it?”

To which I agree without hesitation, not having a single clue what was just being discussed. I get around this by approaching the requester after the meeting and saying, “So, the communication you want me to draft. What do you want in it, and who do you want it to go to?” Problem (usually) solved.

Today I was in a meeting, and again found my mind wandering. I tried so hard to pay attention, but my mind wandered. So, out of curiosity, I just jotted down what it wandered to. Here, in no particular order, are the things I daydreamed about while in a 30-minute meeting:

1. What I plan on wearing tomorrow (black pencil skirt, white blouse, sexy red heels that I never wear) – inspired by the enviable shoes on my coworkers.2. Twilight – I considered what vampires would think of the marketing meeting I was in.3. The fact that I need to clean my refrigerator and do laundry4. Christian Laboutin shoes with the red soles5. Becoming a full-time author and traveling the country in my own Laboutins6. What I was going to have for lunch7. A possible sci-fi story in which everyone in a meeting begins hearing a high-pitched sound, but each just assumes its only them, and they all gradually go deaf, but no one wants to admit it, so they just kept talking, no one hearing a word anyone else says. Not unlike most meetings I go to, anyway.8. When the Twilight movie is coming outStrangely, when I began keeping track of these things, my mind stopped wandering, and I couldn't get away from listening to what was being said. Oh, the irony.

1 comment:

This is EXACTLY why I do the Washington Post crossword puzzle online during class. When I focus on a task, I can pay attention better. Sadly, the crossword is more entertaining than taking notes or participating in class.